Clearwater Police and Clearwater Fire & Rescue responded to a traffic crash with critical injuries on U.S. 19 near Enterprise Road.
Multiple calls were received about the crash at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2024. The crash involved a motorcycle and at least one car in the highway’s southbound lanes.
The motorcyclist, 26-year-old Matthew W. Dolch Jr. of Dunedin, was taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital as a trauma alert with potentially life-threatening injuries. As of Sunday morning, according to the Clearwater Police Department (CPD), he remains in critical condition.
Based on preliminary information from CPD, Dolch Jr was driving south recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic, when he hit the rear of one car and then bounced off and struck another. Speed and alcohol are thought to be factors in the crash.
All southbound lanes were closed south of Republic Drive to Enterprise Road.